


Picking Up The Pieces

by ItWasAPuzzle



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, pacifist run
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5251271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItWasAPuzzle/pseuds/ItWasAPuzzle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something always went wrong when they got to Undyne, every run it was her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fall To Pieces

“ _Well, we’re here_ again,” the voice mutters, Frisk nods to them self, knowing that the petulant hitch-hiker could see the gesture. The small voice was almost soothing now after how long they’d been stuck together.  
  
“ _Why don’t I take the wheel for a bit_?” They asked, “ _I know your script for this fight by heart, it’d be easy,_ ” they were doing their absolute best to sound innocent but after so many resets and reloads the two had gotten to know each other pretty well, and Frisk knew what happened when they, no, _Chara_ had control.  
  
Chara had felt what they were thinking about and did their best to blow a raspberry, it had been a very long time since that had happened; she’d even gotten control for a few seconds when Frisk had been too tired to finish a fight, simply finishing what Frisk had been doing and then waiting patiently for her host to wake up. They grinned slightly as they felt Frisk’s soul pulse slightly and heard a muffled giggle through their ears.  
  
They both knew Chara wouldn’t be able to fight Undyne, they both got a little too into the action and wouldn’t be to hold back, they knew from experience.  
  
_Dust, so much dust and all they could do was stare in horror. She didn’t mean to…. Frisk had_ trusted _her… They ran to the collapsed pile of armour and gripped it tightly, hoping beyond hope that it was hallucination and she’d feel the familiar pain as a spear ran her through._  
  
They had sat there for hours before numbly reloading, they didn’t say anything for the rest of that run.  
  
Frisk could feel Chara pulling away slightly at the memory, could faintly hear the muttered apologies, they shook their head and whispered reassurances to their friend. That had been so long ago, over a hundred resets had happened since then.  
  
They looked up as the familiar royal guard began their speech whilst Frisk did their best to pull Chara’s consciousness back, reminding her of the familiar thought of Undyne with a giant anime sword. The familiarity of the thought pulled the unwilling Chara back, this fight always gave Frisk the most trouble, they couldn’t get the rhythm right without her help.  
  
_“Left, right, right, forward back,”_ she whispered, nodding her head to the familiar beat, watching as Frisk blocked each of Undyne’s attacks. “Now right, right forward left,” grinning slightly despite herself, the soldier was the easiest fight for Chara, the attacks were to a familiar rhythm, she held her arms in a familiar position as she began to play the pretend instrument. “ _Forward, forward, left, right duck,”_ she could almost hear the notes that the instrument should play. There was a slight hiss of pain as the last hit just caught Frisk’s arm, leaving a small cut in their sweater, a few droplets of blood catching the edges as they regained their balance. “ _You’re doing good, now left, wait, right, right wait,”_ Chara encouraged.  
  
Frisk smiled slightly as they almost danced around the spears, waiting for their guest to take back the rare compliment; instead they heard a gentle piano medley.  
  
The rest of the fight was practically a blur for Chara, she just continued with her instructions, barely paying attention to what they could see, the warmth radiating from Frisk’s soul was a new distraction. She was surprised Undyne hadn’t seemed to notice; surely Frisk was showing something, or they could feel the heat of their soul as well as she could.  
  
Slowly, her hand reached out and touched the pulsing heart, feeling Frisk’s everything as she did so, it felt wrong to touch but the heat was pulling her in, they could feel their eyes close slightly the soul beat beneath their touch. This feeling… She had never felt anything quite like this before, they felt so close and it was… Comforting?  
  
They should be in the clear now, Undyne should be walking away after Frisk had poured the water to cool them off, and she cast a glance to the outside world as she pulled her hand away. The familiar wooden bridge in Hotland sending cold darts to the centre of her being, she could feel when Frisk rolled over onto their back to look at the imposing figure above them.  
  
_“Go, run!”_ Chara screamed, watching numbly as Undyne pulled her arm back.  
  
_“What are you_ _doing, do something,”_ she added, eyes widening as a spear appeared in the guard’s hand.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Frisk mumbled as they slowly pushed them self away from the fearsome soldier.  
  
The vicious grin followed them, almost taunting them as she followed them across the bridge, barely feeling the dirt that now clung to their sweaty palms.  
  
“You will be,” the guard said, throwing the spear forward Chara _pushed_ Frisk, taking hold for a brief moment before a long forgotten feeling cut through their being.  
  
_“N_ o!” they screamed as one second they were watching the pulsing red heart to being surrounded by uncomfortable heat, feeling their sweat covered body convulse in unimaginable agony.  
  
She could still hear an unforgettable shattering ringing through her ears as the red gleam faded, looking down at the dull shards that floated before her chest, their body shaking as she attempted to look at the one who did this.  
  
_Undyne._  
  
Who was just staring at them, for a second she looked smug as she prepared to contain Frisk’s soul, but as time went on and the screams didn’t die down, her face started to twist with confusion then _fear_ , realising that the child before them wasn’t dying and was staring at them with eyes filled with _anger_ and _hatred_ and so much _pain._ Surely this wasn’t normal, surely something was supposed to happen other than this screaming.  
  
Chara wanted her pain to stop, she couldn’t hear Frisk’s quiet, reassuring tone in her ear, she couldn’t feel the warming presence at the back of her head.  
  
She wanted the soul now being gripped to her chest to be whole again, for the familiar tug of a reload or a reset, but the pain still tore her apart.  
  
She wanted the monster before her to _die_ for what she just did, to hit her over and over again until she was just dust.  
  
But she couldn’t _move,_ everything hurt too much to attack the one before her, so Chara could only watch as Undyne backed away, never once taking their eyes off the child’s chest, off the shattered remains of _Frisk’s_ soul that were right there, incredibly exposed against the blue and purple sweater.  
  
Slowly, she curled in on herself, wrapping their thin frame around the soul, desperately trying to protect it from further harm.  
  
_Reload, please reload, don’t abandon me now._  
  
Something pulled on the back of their sweater, but Chara didn’t care, she just held the shards close as she wailed, a heart wrenching screech that rang through everything within earshot.  
  
_Please Frisk…_  
  
_Please._


	2. Regret

Undyne grunted as she carried the screaming human towards a familiar white building, with “LAB” written in blocky, red letters. Something was… Wrong, with the human and its soul, and the best person to bring them to so they could recover the soul for King Asgore, was Alphys; nobody knew human, and human history better than her, in the entire Underground. Nobody knew souls like Alphys either, it’d be easy, patch the human up, contain them then take them to New Home.   
  
The surface world was so _close_ ; she could practically feel the wind on her scales as she walked through the doors with a soft _woosh_ , startling the yellow scaled monster that was returning to the giant monitor that dominated the large space.  
  
“U-Undyne?” The monster said, raising her arms to her head to lessen the deafening screams. “W-what are you doing with the-“ She was cut off as the guard pushed passed her, placing Chara on the small space before the screen, affording them a close up off the two monster’s backs.  
  
She seemed almost gentle in her movements, instantly putting Alphys on high alert. Something had gone _wrong_ , the head of the royal guard didn’t bring prisoners to the lab, especially unrestrained prisoners. Not like the human posed much of a threat, they hadn’t tried to attack any of their fellow monsters since arriving; they had done everything _but_ fight.  
  
The child, Frisk, was an incredible flirt, but they were definitely… Unusual. Often speaking to them self, smiling at random or giggling as they had been getting closer to Hotland.  
  
As Alphys stood beside Undyne, the soldier began pushing at the human’s arms and legs, trying to unravel them, which only caused the screams to grow in volume, echoing back at the unlikely trio.  
  
“Have you- stop struggling punk- seen anything like this?” Undyne asked, grunting slightly. The Frisk roll had yet to unravel, as soon as Undyne loosened her grip on one limb, it would curl back to the child’s chest.   
  
Alphys reluctantly took hold of a leg, muttering “sorry” and offering them as comforting smile as she could. Undyne grinned as she pulled the other leg and an arm away to display the shattered red heart that was partially covered by a hand. The monster felt her stomach plummet, that was… Unusual, and definitely not healthy.  
  
There were so many pieces… And they only had a dim sheen to them… But they still held on, this must be a side effect of a human’s Determination, but if that was true why were they screaming? Why did the screams sound so _hurt_ and _lost?_  
  
She shook her head, letting Frisk’s leg go as she did so. “N-never, how did this happen?” Laying a scaley hand on the child’s back, rubbing up and down in small, gentle motions, mimicking the action she’d seen in several animes, hoping it was soothing them as it was supposed to. Their body shook as the rest of their limbs were released and immediately pulled back into the Frisk ball, cradling the soul as securely as they could.  
  
“The how doesn’t matter, can you fix it?” Undyne retorted, copying Alphys’ gesture, causing them to flinch towards the scientist. The guard lowered her hand and backed away slightly.  
  
Looking down at the human, who was practically leaning on her, their hair brushing against the white material of her lab coat, tears already staining through the garment.  
  
They looked so small…  
  
“I can try…” She answered, unsure what she _could_ do, she was facing a supposed impossibility, someone with a shattered soul was supposed to be dead, not screaming and definitely not leaving wet stains on her clothes. ‘ _Where am I supposed to even begin?’_  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
_Red eyes darted from one glowing flower to the next, looking for the familiar colours of her prey, specks of dust falling from her sleeves as she strutted forward, a confident swagger in her step as she approached where the Shyren usually was. Hoping that, but not expecting, that the monster would be trying to hide or had run off like most of its kind had.  
  
They hadn’t before, even when she whistled as they approached, the Shyren was always in the exact same spot before they became a pile of dust. How many times had they destroyed this world? Too many to count, but their stupid host never stopped trying to talk them out of it, then after they reset they’d wrangle control away and_ hug _their way passed the monsters. None of them could be trusted, they would turn on them eventually, she was just sparing them the pain of betrayal.  
  
They dragged the fake knife across a cave wall, the tremors the rugged surface gave her was so satisfying, and watching the dust spiral down to the soft earth below filled her with a simple joy very few things gave her.  
  
The hunt, then the kill; killing everything but not being killed… It’s the simple things in life that made it worth redoing again and again.  
  
Chara could hear… Music? It sounded like humming and singing, in almost perfect harmony. That was new; she could feel her face splitting in a familiar grin. What _ idiots _were beckoning her towards them? Did they really want to die that badly? Well, they would soon be just like everyone else before them, piles of dust scattering in the draft that spread through this part of the underground.  
  
The music was getting louder, it sounded like it came from the junction ahead, where the Shyren always was.   
  
Her pace quickened, eager to see who she’d be meeting this time, and why they’d be making music when everyone had to know they were in the area. As the tunnel widened out into a small clearing and she raised her knife high.  
  
The plaything landed on the cave floor with a soft thud, red eyes widening as Chara’s hands shot to her mouth.  
  
The Shyren was… _ singing, _but the more important detail is that_ they _were there, their arms waving as they saw her as they began a new tune. Their eyes were still in that perpetual squint, but their smile was warm as they danced towards Chara.  
  
“F-frisk?”  
  
They giggled as they danced around Chara, grabbing her hands as they did so, warmth spreading through her body from the contact, dragging them until they were both spinning.  
  
“Why are you here? You’re… You’re…” Her voice trembled, which she internally cursed, that was a Frisk thing.   
  
Frisk just kept smiling at them, as their face was bathed in a red glow before pulling Chara into a bone crushing hug, nuzzling into the their shoulder as they giggled and warmth spread across her body.  
  
“Wake up Chara.”  
  
“I-I-I can’t,” won’t.  
  
“Wake up.”  
  
Wake up.  
  
_ Chara lurched forward, breath catching in her throat as her hands clenched, gripping the soft material she caught tightly as her body shook with pained coughs. Lights flickered on as her eyes scanned for something, anything which she could use.  
  
“A-a-are you okay?” A voice asked behind her as she shot forward towards her target, getting a tight hold on the small bin before Chara emptied her stomach onto the crumpled pieces of paper.  
  
Her body shook with the effort of staying even partially upright, their body screaming in pain and her throat burned as the Nice Cream left. Their eyes stung with exhaustion and a fresh wave of tears, her heart breaking at the realisation that Frisk was _gone_ , and might not be coming back.  
  
She didn’t notice when the blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, or when a glass of water was into her hands.  
  
Instead, she spent almost half an hour knelt there before she rested her forehead against the bin’s rim and staring at their chest, where Frisk’s soul had been nestled since the fight.   
  
For the first time since the first reset, Chara was alone.  
  
Frisk was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Chara, this isn't going to be easy.
> 
> This chapter is mainly filler, helping to show Chara and Frisk's relationship as a whole and helping to set the stage. I'm sorry if this chapter is a little hard to read, but after three re-reads and editing out mistakes and fixing all the sentence flow I could. Any critique and pointing out some mistakes will help.


	3. Looking For Answers

Chara sat in front of the screen, barely paying attention to what the two monsters were doing just feet away as Mew Mew Kissy Cutie played almost on a constant loop. She was beginning to un-nerve both Alphys and Undyne, most likely because she hadn’t moved for almost seven hours straight and her last movement had simply been to scratch her wrist.  
  
She didn’t seem to even blink.  
  
The guard, who was now armour-less and wore her typical black vest and blue leggings, had been pacing constant circles around Alphys for almost as long, waiting for something, anything, so she’d know what she was supposed to do with the anomaly. First it’s soul had shattered, now the shards had just upped and vanished! Leaving a living, breathing cry baby behind. Alphys was next to no help in distracting her and she couldn’t go home to her piano or cooking because she couldn’t leave her friend with… Whatever the child was.  
  
The end credits began to roll, they still had yet to blink.  
  
Alphys had spent most of their day going through their notes, checking every source of information monsters had accumulated on souls. After each trail she found led to a dead end, she’d sigh, hold her head in her hands before moving onto another book, another file pushed to one side which was always followed by Undyne throwing something to the furthest wall like it had offended her on a very personal level.  
  
Five things had smashed against the pale green wall, leaving their pieces on the light blue floor. Normally she’d be more… _controlled,_ then this, but these were extenuating circumstances. How is someone meant to deal with… _this?_  
  
Chara twitched slightly, pulling the blanket draped across their shoulders tighter around them before returning to her anime watching vigil. Someone had to watch it after all.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The lab was filled with a soft, dim light. The human was still sitting in the same spot, a half filled glass of water sitting beside them and an untouched bowl of instant noodles in front of them. The small area of the lab’s upper floor that they had taken residence in was walled off, admittedly rather poorly but when Undyne had tried to use barbed wire, Alphys had reminded her that they’d have to be able to get close to the human for any tests they’d have to do. The wire was left in a corner of the lab, beside an electric fence that had met a similar argument, and something about “they hadn’t done anything wrong”.  
  
Undyne, instead, sat on the opposite side of an upturned table, staring at the human as resolutely as the human stared at the screen. The tension between the two was making Alphys, who was down a floor and on opposite sides of the lab, incredibly nervous.  
  
Chara had yet to look at either monster, or pay them any attention; they looked a million miles away. That didn’t stop the guard from putting on her most intense stare and reaching for her magic at every tiny movement.  
  
Eleven files and three computers were scattered across the lab, but the night was still young and the scientist was sure more would be joining them. She had sent a request for either a piano or a keyboard to be delivered, one of the royal guards would be here soon, it couldn’t be soon enough. Undyne had not liked her orders to “keep an eye on the human as Alphys figures out what the heck was going on with the human”, although she had used much stronger language. The only thing making it bearable was getting to spend more time with her friend Alphys.  
  
It couldn’t get much worse, could it?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As morning came round, or as close as you could get to a morning without a sky, a familiar pair of helmets were knocked on the lab doors, which immediately _wooshed_ open as Undyne practically flew through. Her fins waving in the dry heat of Hotland, her subordinates had never seen her… Act, like this.  
  
“Hey cap, we brought the keyboard from your room at the barracks,” the first one said, their helmet was longer and sharper than their counterpart’s, and had fin decals on either side and on top.  He offered a long box to the captain, which she accepted all too eagerly, holding it under one arm as the second guard offered a small red suitcase labelled ‘EMERGENCY KIT, DON’T TOUCH!” which she grabbed, a small sign of relief escaping her.  
  
“Thanks, that all?” She asked, despite her temporary posting as babysitter, she was still going to go by regulation as much as she could. They soothed her, slightly; you knew where you stood with regulations.  
  
“No bro,” the second one answers, his rounder, horned helmet shook with each word. “We’re posted nearby if you need anthin’,” he added, like she hadn’t been the one to post them there, but the message was clear enough. _If the human tries anythin._  
  
She nodded, backing through the door to avoid damaging the instrument, the two subordinates saluted as the door closed with a soft hiss, wishing that she could join them, at least then she’d be able to go home and cook, or let out some steam on the training dummy.  
   
There was a gentle snort as Alphys rolled her head, having passed out less than an hour ago on desk that sat against the centre wall. A thick, knitted blanket draped across her shoulders to keep off the slight chill that permeated the lab, the princess that decorated it was holding a giant sword high as a robot loomed behind her. It was Alphys’ favourite, they both often used it during their anime nights. The thought gave Undyne a small smile, which lasted almost four seconds before the guard remembered why her friend was sprawled on her desk rather than sleeping in her own bed.  
  
The human, what had Alphys said their name was? Frisk? Had apparently moved whilst Undyne had collected her delivery, and was now sat at the top of an escalator, staring at her, betraying no emotion to the older woman. They just watched as the blue scaled monster took the few possessions that had been delivered in a far corner before sitting cross legged at the bottom of the same escalator and stared back at the human.  
  
There they sat, Undyne sizing the child up as Chara just stared for hours, Alphys had woken up and it was becoming night before either of them moved from their spots, even if it was because Alphys told Undyne to get some rest. The monster reluctantly backed away from the escalator, moving to the far wall and resting her back against the cool metal. A quick, five minute nap wouldn’t hurt, and she had subordinates patrolling in the area who she trusted to be here in moments.  
  
As the taller monster fell asleep, the shorter rode up the escalator, shifting through some papers that she held close to her chest, the soft whispers of paper rubbing against her lab coat’s sleeve.  Alphys believe she had found… _something_ , but answers were going to be needed along with a more thorough examination.  
  
Once she reached the child, whose stared had shifted to her once she had started her approach, the barest hint of emotion flickered across their face before the neutral mask returned. _What had that been? Fear would make sense, but it didn’t look like fear?_ With a nervous shuffle of the papers she gripped, her knuckles paling slightly before loosening the hold.  
  
“Frisk?” She asked, the human nodded in reply. Well, that was a start at least. “Would you mind answering some questions for me?”  
  
The human, Frisk, looked down at their lap, their hair covering their face as they thought, their hands twitching whilst Alphys waited, not wanting to rush them. Whatever was going on, they couldn’t force the issue, especially if it was what she thought it might be, when the human looked up once more, their face a mask of determination. “I’ll answer your questions Alphys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this, I did not expect to find it as difficult as I am. I should have known better.


	4. Questionable Comforts

Chara wraps her, no they’re _Frisk’s_ arms, around the thin frame. Fingers drumming against elbows as she stared at the scientist who sat opposite them, nervously playing with the paper’s corners.  
  
_I wonder if she’ll always do that.  
  
_ Alphys breathed deeply, closing her eyes as her fingers stilled. “Okay… Frisk, how did your soul shatter?”  
  
_Starting off easy? Surely she already knows, Undyne must have told her this already._ Chara pointed towards the aforementioned monster, “tripped and she got me.”  
  
Alphys nodded, jotting something down on the paper with a ball point pen, the end had a small spear decoration that glinted in the dim light. _Where did she pull that from? Lizard has a few tricks up her sleeves… But the spear decoration is a little much._  
  
“Do you know where the shards of your soul are?” Chara shook her head in response, pulling her knees to her chest as she did so, black eyes staring into Alphys’ yellow. She may not know for sure, but she has a pretty good idea where it is, and if she was right it’d be no help to anyone.  
  
The scientist sighed, rubbing her forehead as she did so. “Frisk, do you know what could happen if we don’t fix your soul? And return it to your body?” _Does she really think I_ don’t?  
  
“I do know what should happen,” Chara whispers, _but I’m not the only soul-less person here, you know about Flowey, you know he’s still out there so stop pretending._ Chara could feel her eyes narrowing before she corrected her expression, they mustn’t let them _know._ Alphys was doing her absolute best to make sure they didn’t make eye contact, their discomfort making Chara grin. She _should_ feel guilty for what she did.  
  
“So, you know that you could die? D-do you really not c-c-care?” The monster rubbing her thumbs across the sheet’s corners, up then down, almost like a metronome.  
  
The question gave Chara pause, did she really not care? She cared about Frisk, even if the little hug-nut was convinced they could save her and Asriel, Chara simply had simply laughed when she had found out, Frisk wouldn’t be happy until they saved absolutely everyone. Despite the sheer _impossibility_ of it, monster bodies needed souls to last, humans could only last so long without one, she was just waiting for them to finallygive in.  
  
It wasn’t too bad, living inside Frisk’s head, but the flirting and hugging was a bit much.  
  
Chara shrugged, not knowing the answer or caring all that much if she did. Frisk had to live, they could heal from their previous life, but she and Asriel were lost causes. _What was wrong with her? She didn’t used to be this soft.  
  
_ An awkward silence hung over the two, Alphys was having difficulty believing that this sweet, loving child thought like that. The same child who would giggle randomly, laugh at Sans’ puns and beamed at Papyrus’ antics and Chara was realizing just how much of a _horrifying_ effect Frisk had had on her.  
  
“L-l-listen, I… I know what it’s lik-“  
  
“Stop,” Chara stated, her voice chilling the scientist. That was not how they usually spoke, they both knew it, they both knew the other knew. The monster was watching them, their expression full of concern and it was making the child squirm. She could handle the cold stares of Undyne, but concern? Caring? She had never been able to handle it, the hugs, the checking on them, asking what they wanted? Doing things _just for her?_  
  
Suddenly, there were hands on her upper arms and her vision was blurring. She could hear Frisk’s name being said. She hugged her knees to her chest; the grimy material comforted her, reminding Chara where her place was. Where she should still be, but Frisk had pulled her out, her determination had dragged her out of sleep and into their body and now… What was she?  
  
_Filth, waste of time, burden._  
  
She buried her face into her knees, covering her ears to try and block it out.  
  
_Freak, useless, monster.  
  
_ Words were being shouted, a second voice was getting closer. She couldn’t understand what was being said. Her head was pounding and her throat was raw, making every breathe hurt, each sob ripping her apart. Suddenly, she wasn’t on the ground anymore and there were arms holding her tightly before Chara could feel herself being rocked side to side.  
  
A soft hold, a gentle rocking, it was comforting, it felt familiar and the familiarity just caused Chara to cry harder. The smell of butterscotch filled her nostrils, there was a hint of buttercups and cut grass, she curled into the smell, gripping the front of her holder’s clothes.  
  
“I-I-I’m sorry mom,” Chara whimpered. “For being a bad kid,” she felt the familiar tightening of her tight hugs. “I-I-I’ll make it up to y-y-y-you mom.”  
  
She kept rocking Chara back and forth, whimpering, rubbing her face against her holder’s shoulder. They don’t know how long they were there before the child’s breathing slowed and they fell into a deep slumber.  
  
The scientist staring at the two before her with wide eyes, Undyne returned the look, although the guard’s was more panicked than Alphys’. What had that been about? Why did she call Undyne _mom?_ Why was the human holding onto her so tight still and could Alphys _help get the human off of her?_  
  
Alphys’ smiled comfortingly at her friend, bringing Undyne to the small bed, which collapsed into an easy to draw box. Typically, when Alphys had imagined this, it had always been under _very_ different circumstances, but as Undyne lowered the child onto the bed, releasing her grip on them then trying to stand. The human’s weight pulled her back down and the monster’s expression turned to one of mild panic andher eyes pleaded for Alphys’ help.  
  
One day she’d tell her, but for now she was enjoying her friendship.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
_Click clack click.  
  
Long, thin, wooden needles wove slowly in and out of the pink wool. A small tongue stuck out the corner of Chara’s mouth and her red eyes narrowed in concentration. She had been determinedly knitting this piece for almost a week now and it was only just nearing completion. She could feel _ him _watching, most likely deciding how to punish her for what she did, or waiting for her to finish her current project so he could toss it into the fireplace that was crackling away just a few feet away.  
  
Never had the warmth from a fireplace scared her so much, her old home had used one but it had long stopped frightening her. Now that she felt like she had everything to lose did it taunt her, mocking her with its dancing light. But she did her best to keep a cool facade, if she let on how frightened it was, it’d be another reason to punish her.  
  
The faint smell of his buttercup tea was making her skin crawl, it had just been a simple mistake, she hadn’t meant for it to go so wrong. Toriel had told her afterwards that Buttercups, if not cooked properly, could be incredibly poisonous, how was she supposed to know that? She hadn’t studied flowers, she had only just started her education and although she was learning quickly, she was far behind her brother.  
  
Click clack click.  
  
Knitting has been her main source of comfort since she had fallen into Mt Ebbot, Asriel had to spend several hours a day at school, then half an hour after getting home learning how to be a good king when his time came. The first two days, Chara had spent sitting at beside Toriel’s feet, listening to her new mom recite snail facts and occasionally asking Chara questions. At first, her answers had just been nods and shakes of her head, then one word answers. When she had first answered with an actual_ sentence, _stumbling over her words and focusing intently on each word, something had caused Toriel to ask a question that Chara didn’t want to answer for almost an hour.  
  
“Did you go to school when on the surface?”  
  
When she had finally answered, Toriel’s brows scrunched together, muttering something with words the child didn’t understand before kneeling down before Chara and asking if she’d like to learn. She stayed in the room she shared with Asriel for almost an entire day before she came out again, nodding when the question was gently repeated.  
  
It was worth it just to see the smile on her mom’s face.  
  
Click clack click.  
  
She was on the final stretch of her creation, it was a giant pink… thing, but she hoped the red lettering would help appease the monster before her, Chara was finally beginning to relax around her new family, she couldn’t ruin it now. The small house was starting to feel like what a home should feel like.  
  
She chastised herself, who was she kidding? This couldn’t be a home for her; she would never really be one of them. She was a human and they were monsters, this was just a game to them. Seeing how much they could delude a human into thinking they cared for them, tricking them into letting their guard down. Although six months was a long time to pretend…  
  
Not to them, they live so much longer than humans, they could do it for the _ rest of your life _and it would still be nothing to them. They aren’t really different from the humans, not really, in the end, they’re exactly the same._  
  
_Click clack._  
  
_Chara’s inner debate came to an end as her creation came to an end, all that needed to be done was to cut it from the ball of yarn. Her red eyes turned to the thick pair of scissors that lay on the small table beside her, reaching for them admitted that she had indeed finished and would bring forward her punishment, but sitting here waiting for it was starting to get to her. She had only worked on this almost non-stop since the accident, just almost a week, that was nothing to the time she has already lost. Just one quick cut…_  
  
_She could hear the unmistakeable sound of Toriel and Asriel getting home, Toriel had… What had Toriel needed to do? She couldn’t remember, she had been too focused on her project to listen properly, but her brother could be heard laughing, so they had probably stopped off at Gerson’s on the way back. Asriel seemed to love the old monster, and he always brought back several monster candies for them to share whilst Asriel told her whatever story the monster had told him that day._  
  
_With a deep breathe, she reached for the scissors, quickly bringing them to where the wool ended and her project began and cut._  
  
_Shnik._  
  
_Chara quickly replaced the scissors on the table, no longer needing them and wanting anything to do with them. She looked down at her lap, examining the pink sweater she had just made, the words “Mr Dad Guy” emblazoned across the chest in red, blocky lettering. With a deep, shuddering breath she held it out before her with trembling hands._  
  
_“I-I made you this,” she mumbled, feeling multiple sets of eyes on her as she sat there, time seemed to slow as she heard the chair in front of her creak slightly and the gentle footfalls of Asgore. Chara felt thick, fur covered fingers brush against her hands as they grew lighter, she felt herself tense but still refused to look up. Her hands darting down to her lap where she sat almost perfectly still, like a good daughter should, waiting for whatever punishment she was about to receive._  
  
_“Why, Chara, thank you,” Asgore said, his voice soft, there was some slight rustling before Chara dared peek upwards. She smiled slightly as she saw him pulling it on, his horns catching the inside of the top before his head poked through the top._  
  
_She’d have to remember that, a larger hole for the head, especially if Asriel’s horns grew that big._  
  
_The giant knelt before her, smiling as he took her hands in his much larger ones, a gentle warmth spreading from them throughout her body as her smile grew. She slowly moved forward, wrapping her arms around his neck before he wrapped his arms around her in a tight bear hug. She didn’t care if she could feel her cheeks getting wet, she felt safe here. And when she felt a two more sets of arms around her, she only felt safer._  
  
_“I…” She took a deep breathe, her body shaking as the fear she’d been feeling for the last week left her, wiped away by the actions of her new family. “I love you,” Chara said, letting out a small sob._  
  
_The arms only tightened around her, “we love you to,” was the gentle reply, filling her chest with an unfamiliar warmth._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing "mom" felt wrong, I bet being called it was pretty weird to.
> 
> Now, it's time for Chara to do some soul searching.


	5. Musical Intensity

Chara’s memories of the previous night were hazy, at best, but the wet pillow she woke up to was enough of an indicator that _something_ had happened. Had she admitted that she wasn’t Frisk? Had they instigated a fight to try and find Frisk’s soul, but found nothing? There was no way to tell unless they told her, which didn’t seem very likely.  
  
She poked at the instant noodles with a fork, each day the reptile monster had brought up a new bowl of the stuff and a glass of water, so far she had ignored the food but the hunger pains in her stomach was starting to bother her. Would they bother Frisk if they managed to… Exist, again? Chara couldn’t be sure, they had managed to keep their past before Mt Ebbot well hidden from her, they had only let small snippets past, which hadn’t explained much of anything.  
  
The only time Chara had been able to really feel anything was during their ‘fights’ against her old family and their dates with Papyrus, but they still hadn’t explained much of anything. Maybe the hunger pains wouldn’t bother them? But… Well, it was better safe than sorry and with a shaking hand, they pulled a small forkful of noodles up to their mouth.  
  
The next minute was spent drinking as much water as they could to wash away the taste, how could Alphys _eat_ this? What was the flavour even supposed to be? Their throat and mouth burned, the water barely did anything to the heat and the after-taste of whatever the artificial flavouring had been.  
  
When the worst of the taste had been washed away, leaving the faintest taste of noodles at the back of her throat, the glass of water now almost empty, Chara made herself as comfortable as she could on the cool floor and began to wait patiently. Whatever was going to happen, she was going to take as well as she could, closing her eyes as she did so. Maybe while she waiting, she could try to remember the events of the previous night, it was all she could do in this situation.  
  
Chara sat there for what felt like hours, occasionally seeing brief snippets of memory, very few were useful as they were mainly memories from watching from the backseat of Frisk’s mind. There was the time that Frisk had saved their gold during almost their entire run to rent a room in the MTT hotel, just to see why they cost so much and the subsequent hours they had spent in the giant bed they’d found. Rolling, crawling, jumping and even sleeping,   
  
It had been so soft, so warm and had been just what the pair had needed to let off some steam. That was the first run Chara had listened to Frisk and hadn’t fought for control, it felt so long ago, the first real step towards the friendship that had formed. They had spent most of the night having their first _real_ talk.  
  
They could hear whispers from somewhere, familiar voices but they were too distant to make out. Probably Alphys and Undyne, discussing what to do with them, but right now they didn’t care, they needed to remember what had been said, try to understand the strange tingling they were feeling in their chest.  
  
The memories felt almost real, the brief flash of the lone statue holding an umbrella left her skin feeling wet and cold, a few seconds of holding Toriel’s hand whilst she guided them through the path of retracting spikes, her hand leaving a soft, warm tingling in Chara’s hand.  
  
Their eyes were blinded by the bright lights as Mettaton danced before them, they could feel Frisk dancing with them, the two were barely fighting now as they danced. The ratings they could feel were high and the robot was enjoying putting on a show too much to end it anytime soon. Frisk’s smile was infectious, and Chara could feel it tugging at their lips even now.  
  
Perhaps Frisk had stopped trying to save her and only reset so they could spend more time with the guest they had found in their head, it would explain the pain they could feel from them at the end of every run when Chara’s consciousness couldn’t go further. The connection between their consciousness and their remains buried back in the ruins keeping her tied to the underground.  
  
She banished that idea; Frisk was too soft to keep taking away everyone’s happy ending for just one person, one person who had died a long time ago, who no longer even had a body.   
  
Chara was snapped back to the present when someone roughly shook her shoulder, she could feel her eyes narrowing as she looked up at the fish like monster standing above her. Whatever had happened last night had clearly affected them, as they hadn’t returned the glare but had instead picked her up and unceremoniously dumped Chara back on the bed.   
  
Chara sat up, watching Undyne carefully for any signs of an attack, despite her technically being on ‘no killing the human’ orders, the monster had yet to proof that they could follow orders that went against their beliefs. The guard seemed to be having an internal debate, one that could very easily become an external debate with lots of spears flying around the lab. Chara was not very fond of the latter; the thought of such an outburst brought her hands to her chest.  
  
The motion attracted Undyne’s attention, “I’m not gonna fight ya punk, Alphys and Asgore want you alive,” she stated, grinning slightly. Chara’s hands gripped the front of their, _Frisk’s,_ sweater. With a sigh and some muttered cursing, Undyne sat beside the human and held a hand out.  
  
Well, that was new. They had never offered their hand to them in previous runs, it was a rather sad hand offer, it just kinda sat on the bed between the two, palm facing upwards and far too close to be a casual gesture. She stared at the offered hand, thoughts flying through their head ranging from wild panic of _“What the hell did I say to provoke this softness!”_ to a calm _“I wonder if I could repeat this?”_  
  
“Something eating ya kid?” She asked, her tone definitely not fitting what they had assumed the monster was like. Undyne was intense in practically everything she did, from her cooking to her _talking,_ instead here she was sounding gentle and reassuring. _Perhaps this is why Alphys likes her so much._ Chara shook her head, despite how nice she was appearing now, it was _her_ fault that they were in this mess, it was _her_ fault that they couldn’t hear Frisk’s voice behind her left ear. It was _her_ fault that Chara was in control without Frisk to guide her.  
  
One of Undyne’s ear fins flipped, she didn’t have much experience with people like… However the kid was, her only other reference was Alphys, but they were like they were for completely different reasons. Alphys just had self-doubt, something had caused her to lose faith in herself and it ate at them every day. This kid though, she was at least _partially_ responsible for their wacked out feelings, if last night was any indication, they _had done_ something. If she could, she’d put her head in her hands and scream.  
  
But she couldn’t, Alphys, the kid, they needed someone who at least seemed level headed, someone who didn’t scream into their knees just to let out frustration. What Undyne needed was… Her eye landed on the box the keyboard was still in, not having been able to set it up and play properly yet. Undyne grinned slightly, perhaps both of them could use some music, and if the kid didn’t care to play at least she could. It was a win-win.   
  
She motioned to Chara to _stay,_ because what the child had said, what they did, the previous night was hanging in the back of their mind. As she raced down the escalator, jumping several steps with a practised confidence, grabbing the box tightly, securing it against her chest before retreating back up the escalator, ignoring the fact that the escalator to go up was on the _other_ side.  
  
The box was placed firmly on the bed, a small clasp that sat in the centre was undone and with an almost reverent expression, Undyne lifted the instrument from its cradle. The black and white keys which had once been smooth were slightly pockmarked, the navy colour that covered most of the keyboard was worn down in some patches and where the colour had long since faded had stickers with various anime characters. Almost all of them were holding giant swords.  
  
On the back there was a small square of almost silver metal with a small circular hole in the centre, Undyne turned the instrument around so the area was facing her and examined it, her mouth moving with soft utterances that Chara couldn’t quite hear, before she grinned, turning the instrument back round so that the keys were facing the guard once again.  
  
“Do you know what this is kid?” She asked, once again sitting on the bed with the instrument between the two. When Chara shook her head in reply, Undyne answered “It’s a keyboard, it’s like a portable piano but runs on _magic.”_ The fish monster’s grin grew, “It’s an instrument that _I_ play, I figured after your freak out last night that music would be good for… Your issues.”  
  
_Ah,_ Chara thought, _that’s why she’s being nice, she’s feeling_ guilty, _and now she’s trying to make up for hurting_ Frisk. She grimaced, _what did I say though, do they know I’m not… Them?_  
  
She was tugged out of her thoughts by a lone note, which hung in the heavy air between the two before a second note joined it. Her gaze fell on the keyboard and stayed there as more notes then chords started to fill the air, forming first a slow melody but quickly building in tempo and fervour. It was an… Interesting composition, not any piece that Chara could recognise, and the keys sounded different to what she had started her training on; recognisable, but still different.  
  
She tugged her knees to her chest and listened, there was something about the music that made her want to listen. The way the monster played as well, someone who rarely showed restraint containing their boundless energy to create this, it was showing a side of her that she and Frisk never saw in their previous runs.  
  
Undyne was always so _intense,_ the only time she wasn’t is shortly after their date with Alphys, but even then the intensity could be heard in the way she spoke about the other monster. But as Chara listened, she began to see the intensity that almost seemed to define the guard, not in how she played but what she played.  
  
As they sat there, one listening whilst the other created, time flew by the pair. Every so often, Alphys would come and sit beside the human, sometimes with more water and sometimes to just listen better whilst she read through more notes. Neither truly noticed when the human fell asleep, they _knew_ she was asleep, but Undyne continued to play, slowing the music down and Alphys dimming the lights. Eventually, long after the two monsters had gone down to the main lab, the only light on the lab’s second floor was a dim, red glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Undyne is surprisingly hard to write.  
> But, plot development and character development. I'm excited~
> 
> And thank you everyone who is reading and enjoying, all the kudos, nice comments and everything. I feel so welcomed and I just wanna give you all a hug. ;w; I didn't expect this when I started writing this, so thank you.
> 
> Updates are going to slow a bit, I'll still try to get one out once a week, but Decembers are usually pretty busy for me.


	6. Inner Shine

_Red eyes open to see golden flowers, the leaves dancing as if in a gentle breeze but the familiar walls leave them knowing that, despite what their eyes said, there was no wind down here. Just dirt and rocks. High above, a there’s a small opening where a thin stream of natural sunlight streams down, almost blinding the child.  
  
With a soft groan, green sleeved arms push the small figure into a sitting position, they could feel the tension in their muscles tightening slightly at the exertion, but they’re determined. Their eyes adjust to the light, soft splotches of colour fading and their surroundings become a little clearer.  
  
There are shapes they can’t quite make out in the shadows, but this place feels safe, the golden flowers surrounding them felt reassuring and familiar.  But this isn’t how this went, she’d been hurt, barely able to move and calling for help last time she had been here… So why was she here? Looking down at her hands, the same pale hands that poked out of the end of a light green jumper was there. So this was sometime after Toriel had knitted her and Asriel matching sweaters.  
  
Tugging at the sleeve, Chara wondered when she had come back here after that. Asriel used to come back here with her during her first few months in the Underground, but they couldn’t remember when they’d come back after the pair had gotten the matching clothes.  
  
Something shifted in the shadows, red eyes turned accusingly towards the offending shape, trying to pick out who or what it was. “Hello?” She called out, her voice rasping, their throat stinging slightly at the unwanted use. Something wasn’t quite right here, there was something making the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end.   
  
Red eyes settling on the short stick just outside the circle of sunlight, its thick length became a reassuring weight in her hand, tightening their grip round the makeshift weapon. Whatever was down here with them will have to fight if they want to… What? What would they want to do? Chara shook her head, trying to clear out the confusing thoughts, home, that’s where they should go. Get home then try to understand what’s happening. Her parents would be worried…  
  
Or would they?  
  
They shook their head again as they stood on trembling legs, their knees shaking. She wondered around the small cave, leaving small shoe prints in the soft dirt as she looked for a way out. The air seemed warmer near the sides of the cave; the rocks themselves seem to be letting off heat and burned when touched. Chara winced every time their hand brushed against the rocky face, she eventually came across a large tunnel, a soft and gentle breeze brushed through her hair. She took several cautious steps, feeling the ground out with a foot before taking a step, wary of… What was she wary of? She was by herself down here, with just a stick and a bandage on her.  
  
_ Oh god, I’m going to starve down here, _Chara thought as she came across a giant archway that seemed carved into the wall with a faintly familiar marking above. Three triangles below a circle, with what seemed to be wings on either side. After a moment’s hesitation, she walked through the opening into another room, there was another stream of sunlight cascading down from the roof onto the petals of another golden flower.  
  
But this one was different from the others.  
  
This one had a _ face.  
  
_It smiled at her, which was so very wrong. Flowers didn’t have faces, or smiled or did anything.  
  
“Howdy,” What? “I’m Flowey,” flowers don’t talk… “Flowey the flower, you’re new to the Underground, ain’tcha?” Chara backed away, her back bumping into the archway behind her, staring in wide eyed terror at the plant before her. It just kept smiling at them, waving a small leaf as if that was supposed to comfort them.  
  
_ Kill it. _  
  
They froze, that was… Their voice?  
_  
Rip it’s petals off and _kill_ it, Frisk.  
  
_She shook her head, she wasn’t Frisk, but she couldn’t go back to her old ways. But, why couldn’t she? Frisk was gone, probably for good, so it was just them left…  
  
Chara looked down at her feet, she could finish what she had started all those runs ago, cutting a dusty path through the Underground and then finally kill Sans… But, despite the fact she could now, she didn’t want to. But, what else did she have? Frisk had been the only one to give her a chance, even after everything they had been put through by her. Despite watching each of their friends die, some of them multiple times, they had offered the flirt of friendship and eventually…  
  
With a deep breathe, settling the panic she had just been feeling as the memories flooded back, Chara looked back up to where Flowey had just been to find that he wasn’t there, but had been replaced by a very familiar figure, their blue and purple sweater covered in grime with a few small tears, but their face and hair seemed as clean as ever.  
  
“F-Frisk?” They nodded in response, taking a step forward and holding out a hand, Chara hesitated for a second before taking it.  
  
They smiled as they entwined their fingers with hers, pulling Chara back where she had just come from. “What are you doing here? Why are we back here? Why did it take so long for you to reset?”  
  
Frisk turned, their smile growing as they stood back in centre of the flowers, sitting down and crossing their legs as they gestured for Chara to do the same. As she sat down, she made sure to kick at least a few of the flowers, it was the most she could to get back at Flowey right now.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Frisk started, taking both of Chara’s hands in theirs, “I’m not entirely sure what’s going on right now, I’m just…” Frisk bit their bottom lip thoughtfully. “I can’t see what you see, in the real world. All that trickles through are feelings,” they began playing with Chara’s fingers. “I’m sorry for all the pain and fear you’re going through because of me. I’m sorry that I got us stuck in this situation. I’m just… Sorry,” they looked down at their lap, taking a hand back and rubbed their eyes with a dirty sleeve.  
  
Chara knew she was supposed to say something or do something; she’d never had to calm Frisk down before. The last time Frisk had cried was back when the two were still fighting for control, ever since the pair had come to what had first been an uneasy alliance to friendship; Chara hadn’t had to console them.  
  
Slowly, she got to her knees and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around their shoulders, pulling them in close and tightly. Which only seemed to make them cry harder and they returned the hug, just as tightly.   
  
“Does… That mean, you’re still… Alive?” Chara whispered, she felt Frisk nod slightly against her shoulder. “How do I know this isn’t just a dream and you’re really… Gone?” She didn’t know if she could take that, losing Frisk once had been bad enough, but twice would be too much. To be given hope only to have it taken away again because gosh darn it, this little ball of flirt had grown on her over the resets.  
  
“You’ll just have to trust me,” they muttered, drawing away from the hug leaving a small wet mark on Chara’s shoulder. “But, I think I can show you something, while we’re still here,” Chara felt a small hand gently tap the centre of her chest before there was a gentle push. But Chara wasn’t going to let go, she _ needed _this, she didn’t care if it was technically a dream, she just wanted to hold onto what little hope she had left of Frisk still being alive somewhere.  
  
There was a soft laugh, “let me try this first, then we can do anything you want. I don’t know when you’ll wake up,” reluctantly, Chara backed away, keeping one of the smaller hands clasped tightly in her own. She couldn’t stand the wait, as Frisk closed their eyes completely, as intense concentration decorated their face.  
  
Seeing them focus so intently filled Chara with a familiar feeling before there was a soft red glow lighting their faces from below, Frisk smiled as they relaxed, staring at the small red fragment hovering in front of Chara’s chest. Their partner also stared at the tiny red fragment, it was barely the size of a water drop and the ever familiar glow was soft instead of bright like Frisk’s.  
  
“Is… Is that yours?” She asked, looking up at the child before them.   
  
They shook their head, taking each of Chara’s hands in their own so the tiny glow was held in a safety net of tiny hands. “It’s both of ours,” they whispered, cupping the little light in their joined hands. “Both of ours.”  
  
_ Chara’s eyes slowly opened, her face pressed against a pink pillow that was covered in glittery Japanese lettering, but she didn’t care about that, instead focusing on the soft glow that was peeking out from under the blanket burying her.  Her breathe caught in her throat, tentatively reaching for the blanket. When the soft material was held tightly, their knuckles starting to turn white before they threw it aside.  
  
The warm covering caught on her foot, spreading outwards again to cover the child, but they had _seen_ it, the small red glow, the tiny fragment of a red heart, hovering just over them. Chara smiled wistfully, cupping the tiny thing in her hands, letting the gentle warmth spread through her fingers.  
  
Frisk was alive, they just needed time. Knowing that her friend was still alive filled Chara with _determination,_ and Chara knew just where to look to bring them back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I got the dream section to seem... Dream like enough, and got Chara's confusion across without it being confusing to you guys.
> 
> And, what's happened to Frisk is partially shown, now Chara has a half formed plan. It's time for action. The next few chapters also step more into head-canony area of plot, put together by pieces and snippets I found, filling in the blanks with guesswork.


	7. Staying Determined

_Don’t follow me, I’m going to ~~fix my soul~~ ~~save Frisk~~ find some Determination. I’ll be back soon.  
~~~~  
~~Chara~~ Frisk.  
  
_ She placed the note in front of the large door, the large mirrored surface seemed to suck what little light there was out of the lab; filling the room with a sense of dread, despite the relaxing colours of the walls and floor. This had always been her least favourite part of every one of their runs, but this time she was alone and as soon as the two monsters knew where she had gone, she wouldn’t have much time.  
  
Would Alphys be able to bring Undyne down here by herself? Right now, that wasn’t Chara’s biggest concern, she had to go down there, she had to find the “DT Extraction Machine” and hope there was still some determination left nearby. That’s as far into the plan she had thought.  
  
Chara a guilty look back to the two monsters passed out in front of the large monitor, Alphys’ head resting on Undyne’s arm, both of them letting out gentle snores. That was very possibly the last time she’d see the pair before she’d be stuck riding passenger in Frisk’s head. It had only been a few days, but she’d seen sides of them she had never seen before and if she managed to bring back Frisk, she supposed she could forgive Undyne. Maybe.  
  
Returning her gaze to the door, behind which lay her best chance of repairing their soul, her expression hardening as she _pushed_ against it. At first it refused to budge, almost seeming to push back before it silently slid into its frame. _Oh, right, sliding door._ A deep, shuddering breathe and she stepped through. The darkness was almost stifling as she reached forward, despite having the inside of every elevator memorised, it was a very different experience without light.  
  
Small fingers brushed against the sharp but familiar ridge of a button, Chara heard the gentle whoosh of the door closing behind her as she pressed her palm against the button. She took a steadying breathe as she felt the small box start to descend, despite knowing that she should be safe in here because Alphys hadn’t been coming down here, so the generator’s weren’t low on power. Therefore, she wasn’t going to start plummeting downwards at terrifying speeds.  
  
That didn’t stop her from leaning against the cool wall, trying to school her breathing. She was already feeling a little light headed, but she had to push on, she had to do this. When the elevator doors finally re-opened, dim light flooding over them, Chara almost eagerly ran out onto the corridor’s dark green tiles. As soon as she’s out into the hallway, she leans against the wall, coldness seeping through her fingers like ice with every deep breathe. Chara hated that elevator; she didn’t understand how Frisk could use it again and again whilst staying perfectly calm.  
  
After several agonisingly long moments, Chara turns her gaze down the long passageway. Blank screens casting more dim light onto the opposite wall, this place just gave them the creeps. It was a place of death but not quite death, something almost worse. Standing straight and tall, gripping the edge of the sweaters sleeve for comfort, she began the trek deeper into the True Lab.  
  
This part had always been the same, a short walk down a dimly lit hallway, take a left and wind up at a vending machine full of potato chisps. The elevator would be out of power, so they’d have to go left to get a red key for the lock before you could venture into the power room. But this time they had a different destination in mind, they wouldn’t need keys or examine the beds with the _thing_ that tucked Frisk in when they napped.  
  
They had never seen it, they had tried to but it had always vanished.  
  
_Right at the elevator, up past the beds then keep going left. That’s where I’ll start, at the freezers._  
  
The corridor widened out into a small room, it looked exactly like it always did. A giant door with four different coloured lights, the ever familiar vending machine and in one corner a small, sad looking ficus. On the opposite side was another blank screen with a happier looking ficus in the corner. Everywhere apart from a small area in front of the vending machine was covered in a thin layer of grime.  
  
The room barely slowed Chara’s determined stride as she veered right, heading towards a corridor almost hidden from view from where they entered, another large door barring the path. Or rather, it would have if it hadn’t slid open as soon as they stepped near it. They were barely paying attention to their surroundings, they were doing their absolute hardest to ignore where they were and why they were here.  
  
This was one of the few places that Chara didn’t enjoy when Frisk had felt explorative, because they had covered _every_ nook and cranny inside this place. They had listened to every tape at least a hundred times, which she had asked them to _stop_ doing, because the memories hurt too much. Than there was the ‘DT Extractor’, which was creepy enough to begin with before Chara had managed to wrestle control for their first…  
  
_They’d never gotten past Sans._  
  
Their fingers brushed against the beds as they passed, distracting them from the memories. The bed that was usually un-made had already been made, which was more than a little bit creepy because _which of the things slept there._ But they couldn’t back out, they had to keep going, why did they have to keep going? She wasn’t entirely sure, but something felt _right_ about going to the True Lab, to go fetch the ‘samples’ that Alphys kept.  
  
_The small bottle was almost crystal clear; the contents were slightly cloudy and let of a small glow. On one side there was the label ‘DT, LB’. They picked up another sample, almost perfectly identical to the one before but labelled ‘DT, O’. Chara could feel Frisk’s smile fade before they replaced the samples.  
  
_ They were passed the bedroom now, in the corridor heading towards the all too familiar machine, that was far too similar to Sans’ own magic to be a coincidence. Passing the door that led to the bathtub, where there was always that silhouette that waved wildly behind the shower curtain.  
  
_Why did I think this was a good idea?_  
  
A soft, warm pulse echoed through their chest, reminding Chara why they were down to, telling them to _stay determined, don’t give up._ Maybe the plan won’t work, but what had they learnt during their time with the Dreamurr’s? Read in every book at the Snowdin’s _Librarby?_ In their almost terrifyingly thorough reading of Alphys’ notes?  
  
That human souls were _made_ of determination, that determination were a human’s biggest strength. Then, during every fight against…  
  
Chara’s eyes stung, remembering that fight was ahead of them, no matter what happened down here almost caused her to quit then and there. How would she stand up to him when she barely had a soul herself, she lacked Frisk’s determination, she wasn’t as strong or as kind as them.  
  
_You cannot give up yet… Chara… stay determined,_ the all too familiar words echo’d through her mind as she passed the DT Extraction Machine, the goat skull looking machine sending shivers down her spine, urging her to hurry past it. She hated that machine; it made her think too much about…  
  
_Burning, searing heat danced across her skin as he stood there, with his permanent grin seeming to stretch wider as the golden hall faded from view.  
  
_ The air cooled slightly as she stepped through the door, roughly half a dozen refrigerators lined one side of the room; their dull grey shell looked smooth to the touch. The fans that lined the top of the rooms whirred slightly in a vain effort to keep the air clear, but there was still a slight murk that hung in the air stopping Chara from seeing the far wall. For a second, she wondered if one of the determination experiments were still pretending to be a fridge down by the far end.  
  
The first fridge, they knew was already empty so they almost skipped passed it. The second fridge contained samples from the… Experiments, most of them coming from the Amalgamite. The third one was also already empty, but the fourth one contained all the determination samples, from the six previous kids that had fallen down here.  
   
The fridge’s handle was smooth to the touch, the cool feeling of metal on her skin was almost soothing as she pulled, letting the cold air rush out with a soft _woosh_ and covering her in small goose bumps.  
  
Six small vials, filled to the brim with various colours of a viscous substance; green, yellow, orange, purple, blue and light blue. That’s what each of their labels said, Chara was all too aware of _where_ the stuff had come from, knew that these vials held pure determination from six other children. Children her father had killed.  
  
Patience, perseverance, kindness, integrity, justice and bravery; traits the others had been defined by, but they all shared something else that she desperately hoped would work. _Determination,_ what both Frisk and Chara were defined by, even if they veered towards different actions with their own determination.  
  
Beside each vial sat a small row of needles, each one shined ever so slightly in the dim light, when their fingers wrapped around the cylinders of the needles, six needles held firmly by small fingers. Just one line of thought was weaving in and out of Chara’s mind, their resolve strengthening as they filled each needle with the coloured ooze before each needle was full and the vials empty.  
  
_Six human souls…_  
  
They smiled slightly, rolling up the blue sleeve of their sweater until it was bunched up at their shoulder, revealing faded scars. The sight weakened her resolve for just a few seconds before she put a needle point to the soft skin and with a deep breathe, broke through the skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That other fic I uploaded a few days ago? This is the result of that practice in description. I feel strangely proud of that. 
> 
> This is probably the last chapter I can get finished before Christmas, maybe even this year. 
> 
> Until then, ponder on Hyper Determined Chara.


	8. Reassembly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of past child abuse and suicide in this chapter, but only very briefly.

After so long being the one in control, having to take a backseat felt… Weird, at first, especially after they realised that all they could see was the scattered shards of a red heart. Its pieces spread across the inky blackness of this space, they didn’t know _what_ or _where_ it was, all they knew is that this is where their soul was inside them, this was where their passenger spent most of their time. During the few runs near the beginning, they had stayed here to, struggling in the vast expanse to save their friends.  
  
Being back here after so long, at first it had scared them. Why had Chara taken over? What was going on around them? What had happened to their soul?  
  
But then, the terror came, the pain, the fear washing like waves over them, seeming to resonate from each and every shard around them. Several of the red pieces flashed with a dim light with every second they hung there, with black eyes watching through their perpetual squint.  
  
What could they do? Reset? But they couldn’t reach their save from here, they weren’t even aware of where their save was but the shards still screamed, and screamed.  
  
And screamed.  
  
After an undeterminable amount of time, the shards started to move around the space, the constant wail starting to die down as they did so. Several pieces moving further away from them, some lazily floating in small circles whilst a few others drifted closer, hanging just outside of their reach.  
  
Soft sounds echoed softly from the red pieces, they could hear whimpers, sobs, cackling; the sounds reverberating through their small frame. The small child tried to push themselves, letting out small gasps of fear, they didn’t _like_ these sounds, they brought back painful memories. Of onslaughts of bones, a bombardment of blue floating spears from all sides.  
  
Of a familiar skull, resting on scattering dust as fresh snow fell.  
  
Fires reared up in the darkness, skulls faded into sight as below them blue points appeared. Their eyes widened slightly as an all too familiar heat brushed against their back and they _willed_ them self away, pushing against the suffocating darkness.  
  
They rolled across loose dirt, kicking up small tufts of earth as they came to a stop beside a familiar monster, in a familiar place. Something felt… Wrong though, this wasn’t how it should be, there should be more monsters here than there were, this was _wrong_. The monster beside them curled further inside them self when they saw them, letting out whispers of a whimper. They’re scared, both of them are scared but they couldn’t move, the monster was… Shyren? Yes, it was Shyren, how could they have forgotten them of all people? They were their band mate; they had sold out the same concert more times than they could remember.  
  
With a small smile, they started to hum a soothing and familiar melody, Shyren peeked out from behind their hair slightly at the sound. Their smile grew at the small gesture as they continued to hum, picking up the tempo when the monster began to sing along, their fins waving slightly as they slowly grew louder and bolder. Slowly, they started to dance as Shyren nodded along to the rhythm, both wearing dazzling smiles full of joy, the only thing missing was the sold out concert, but that didn’t matter.  
  
They twirled, their hair whipping around their ears, as their hair settled back in its familiar setting, their arms waved as _she_ stepped around the corner. Their clothes covered in an almost terrifying amount of dust, a plastic knife clutched tightly in their hand as the two stared at each other.  
  
Their red eyes stared as they began to dance towards her, their feet kicking up small tufts of the dirt path as they got closer.  
  
“F-frisk?”  
  
A small giggle escaped their lips as they began to dance around their companion, grabbing her hands and squeezing to reassure them self that _yes_ they were there, they were covered in dust that could be from only one thing but that could be fixed. They weren’t sure how they were both there, but seeing them in front of them filled them with a familiar feeling as they dragged her into a spin.  
  
“Why are you here? You’re… You’re…” Her voice trembled, a shudder of confusion echoed from the walls, answering Frisk’s unasked question. This was a dream, their body was sleeping, Chara was _out there_ by herself, on a new route with no idea what was coming.  
  
_Just keep smiling, she can’t_ know, _she needs to think everything will be_ okay.  
  
A soft red glow bathed their faces in light as Frisk pulled Chara into a bone crushing hug, feeling something press against their chest as they nuzzled into her shoulder. The pressure causing them to giggle, it _tickled_ as warmth started to spread from the small point of contact.  
  
“Wake up Chara,” _wake up and get us somewhere safe. Don’t die out there; just survive while I try to figure out what’s going on. Chara, please just hold on._  
  
“I-I-I can’t,” she whispered back, wrapping her arms around the smaller child, holding them as tightly as they were holding her.  
  
“Wake up,” Frisk murmured, their eyes prickling as tears threatened to fall before they were thrown back into the empty expanse of darkness, the bright red shards still floating in the seemingly endless expanse of nothing.  
  
Chara will at least be able to protect herself whilst Frisk thinks, there’s not much else they could really do, they can’t seem to reset and it’s been so long they’ve forgotten how to take control over their body without her… Frisk dismisses that thought, shaking their head to help get rid of the idea.  
  
Maybe they’d be able to do something from here? Chara manages to help them whilst in the backseat, and their friendship grew stronger after the promotion to riding shotgun, so there has to be something they could do. Their eyes land on a jagged, red shard floating just out of reach, they might not be able to do much but perhaps…  
  
They reached out, the tips of their fingers barely brushing against the frozen piece, unwillingly pushing it further away in a short, gentle spiral. Holding their hand to their chest, rubbing their fingers together, it had been so cold… They were familiar with how their soul felt, they had felt the warmth during every fight but… This cold, it was new, it was _scary._  
  
Their brow furrowed slightly as they reached out once more, willing the tiny piece of soul to be closer, they could wonder why it was cold later. Their fingers brushing against the tiny red shard, determination flowing through their small frame as they _pulled_ it towards them, bringing it to their chest. Whispers echoing from the small soul.  
  
_“What’s wrong with your daughter with those_ eyes _of hers?”_ The words brought tears to Frisk’s eyes, they knew words like that, but the voice wasn’t familiar. A forgotten memory of their past life, maybe? _“You’re doing God’s work, living with that…_ thing,” they barely held back a sob as feelings of confusion, anger and hatred washed over them.  
  
_That’s not my memory,_ they held the tiny part of their combined soul, tears flowing down their cheeks as they closed their eyes as exhaustion finally took over.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Frisk quickly lost track of how long they were there, the only hint at how many days it had been was when they felt Chara sleeping, which brought new feelings to the surface. They had seen glimpses of these dreams, seeing them as if through a telescope. They had seen the Dreemurr’s together, happy as a family with their adopted child, they had seen Chara climbing Mt Ebbot, the sun shining against the snowy mountain peak hanging above them.  
  
They had seen Chara’s parents, they had seen every punishment, every insult, every empty “I love you” that they relived in their sleep.  
  
They had seen every kindness from Toriel, Asgore and Asriel. Felt the trust, the love and the happiness they had made Chara feel.  
  
They also saw Chara’s desire to help, to give their family a better life on the surface, to free all monsters. The pain they felt after they ate the buttercups, the determination that fuelled them to go through with their plan as they watched them die…  
  
But they still held the tiny piece of red to their chest, this tiny piece of a human soul was the most precious thing that they could still touch. It was the culmination of their being, the culmination of Chara’s being, both of their essences entwined in one small human soul.  
  
Every so often, they would feel something shoot through the darkness, crashing through the darkness like a tidal wave, various emotions floating by their head like drift wood, almost knocking loose the tiny, red piece nestled against their chest. Just holding it there, being this close to it was tiring them out; physically, mentally and emotionally drained of energy. But they still held on, refusing to let go, they had worked too hard to simply let go.  
  
For Asriel, for Chara, for everyone, they would keep fighting for that perfect happy ending. Everyone will reach the surface, maybe not how they had expected to, but they _will_ save everyone. They will get to live with Toriel, they will see their monster friends every day and they will save Chara. Everyone deserves forgiveness, to live a happy life.  
  
Their thoughts paused for a second, despite the number of resets; they still didn’t know how to save Asriel. They had tried to give him one of the human souls multiple times, but every time he had refused, each time it had been for the same reason. ‘Because they deserve to move on,’ despite how hard they fought for him to come back, he’d resist and refuse.   
  
The last three resets had been caused by how they had tried to bring back Chara and Asriel, they had tried to use the power of the core but when they’d gotten too close their skin had begun to blister and tear before Chara had forced them to reset. Every time the burning had started from further and further away, so now they were back to square one with no clue on how to bring him back.  
  
They could feel themselves fading, the longer they stayed here the weaker they became, their determination slipping with every tremor of fear Chara experienced, every stab of pain cut deep into their soul but they still held on. They pushed as much love and positivity into their shared soul as they could, hoping they’d feel it, that it would reassure them. They may have slipped too far to see their dreams, which were now just static-y images behind their eyes, but hopefully they could still send feelings to their friend.  
  
Although, maybe friend wasn’t quite strong enough, they were more two halves of the same whole, it would be weird to have their head all to them self when this was finally over. Seeing Chara instead of just hearing them, getting to touch Chara instead pretending their reflection was them.  
  
They felt something… A brief flicker of… Happiness? Then they were washed up in a sudden wave of determination, unlike everything else they had felt from Chara, this could been seen as it swept up the red shards in a very literal wave of red, pink spray outlining smaller waves before a small light began to glow.  
  
A soft, light blue light that began to grow inside the wave, Frisk’s eyes followed it as it took on a shadowy shape that was noticeably smaller than they were. It slowly moved from piece to piece, slowly collecting each shard that was rolling in the waves at their feet.  
  
A second light began to glow, this one forming much quicker than the first as it took on a much taller, much more orange look than the first. It took a moment to swing it’s shadowy arms, leaving a faint trail of light orange behind them before joining the first light, picking up every piece that was within reach.  
  
Frisk watched the two lights, gripping their own piece ever tighter. Their body still far too tired to try moving, so they called out to the lights, trying to get their attention, to get them to help.  
  
When the two lights simply waved, Frisk curled up tighter in on them self; they couldn’t really be there if they were staying away. Their mind must be beginning to slip, there was no way for any of this to be happening, they weren’t entirely sure what _was_ happening. Despite the familiarity the lights gave off Frisk couldn’t recall seeing anything like them before.  
  
Something tapped their arm, startling Frisk out of their thoughts, a green glow decorating the area around them. A soft warmth wrapped around their shoulders, tugging them upwards. A very familiar pan shape greeted them as they turned to look towards the mysterious helper, the feeling of a comforting smile spread across Frisk as the light took shape before them.  
  
Several red pieces were pushed gently into Frisk’s hands, jostling the shard that they’d been holding. Faint green lines appeared around the shards edges as several shifted, fitting themselves together in their palms.  
  
More memories flooded through their mind, a mixture of Frisk’s and Chara’s memories fitted themselves into place, memories that had been long forgotten. Memories of the cold voice that Chara had been before, the fear from meeting Undyne the first time, trying to talk to everyone through sign language, it all felt so long ago. Both Frisk and Chara had grown so much since then, it was almost strange to see these old memories and think ‘I used to be like that.’  
  
When Frisk was finally aware of their surroundings again, their heart pounding in their ears as they took in the sight around them. Six colours; green, yellow, orange, purple, blue and light blue, all seeming to be standing around them. All but green holding out tiny pieces of their red soul towards them.  
  
Slowly, the six colours stepped closer as they began to glow brighter. Frisk wasn’t sure _what_ they were supposed to do or _what_ was going on, but it felt… Calming, standing in the centre of this circle of light, pieces of red being pushed into their hands, the colours felt like old friends as each jagged edge of the tiny heart was given a coating of whichever colour had held it.  
  
They began to laugh, at first it was sharp and piercing, but it soon turned happy and delirious as the pieces that floated just above their hands began to move, twisting around each other as they began to piece themselves together. Piece after piece slowly fitting into place as the lights began to fade, before too long the colours had completely faded and Frisk was left holding a completed red heart, a spider’s web of lines decorating it’s surface.  
  
Frisk couldn’t help smiling as they ran their fingers gently across its surface, soft warmth spreading through their fingers before they held it as tightly as they dared to their chest. And, like a switch had been flipped, they were bowled over by Chara’s thoughts, what they could see making itself clear in Frisk’s mind. They were _back_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of the end few chapters, not much further to go now.
> 
> This chapter was fun and a challenge to write, then edit. I hope it's as good as I was hoping for.
> 
> I also made a tumblr if you want to ask questions and such, I may post about how each chapter is coming along on there. It's also ItWasAPuzzle.


	9. Confusing Revelations

Cold, everything down here was so _cold_ , the refrigerators, the tiles, everything was dark and cold. Their arm was going numb from the cool metal they leaned on, their hand gripping six small punctures in their skin. Their head was pounding, but they didn’t know _why,_ everything was either cold or numb or felt blisteringly hot and sore. Their mind was reeling from what had just happened, even if they weren’t sure what _had_ happened, they only knew something _had_ happened.  
  
How long had they been here? Had the two monsters noticed they were missing yet? Had they left a note? They weren’t sure, they couldn’t _remember_ , their mind was still trying to catch up with what had happened, their memories were flicking back and forth, making themselves known before vanishing and it was all _too much._  
  
A presence at the back of their mind pushed itself forward, making itself comfortable in the forefront of their thoughts and _urged_ them to seven. Seven? What did that even mean, who or what was that in their head and why did they feel so familiar and caring?  
  
A strange warmth wrapped itself around their chest, rising slowly then descending just as slow, guiding their breathing. They weren’t sure how long it was before things finally began to settle into a steady rhythm of _in_ then _out,_ but as their breathes steadied, their thoughts began to make sense to, slotting themselves back to where they belonged.  
  
They were in the True Lab, they had left a note explaining… Something, their arm hurt because they had just _stuck needles_ in it and…  
  
They closed their eyes and relaxed, something had happened involving lights, but their soul was back in one piece, that’s all that mattered. _Frisk’s_ soul was back, they can still _finish_ this run, but they definitely had to have a talk with Frisk about trying to save _everyone,_ they had nearly lost everything trying to save Asriel and Chara.   
  
The presence in their mind rolled a little at that thought, but didn’t do much else besides groan out a “Chaara.”   
  
Frisk’s exhaustion dragged at Chara’s own energy, they felt sluggish and heavy footed when they tried to stand up straight, almost immediately collapsing against the refrigerator with a soft thud. Whatever had happened had really worked them over, not only was their body feeling physically drained, but their mind felt slow and tired, maybe if they lay down here for a short while that would help. The amalgamates wouldn’t do anything whilst they slept, would they?   
  
They slowly slid down the front of the refrigerator as their eyes slid shut, _just a quick nap, that can’t hurt too much…_ They slowly curled up on the floor, their head resting on their arms as they drifted off to sleep.  
  
_It felt completely_ _normal when they saw Frisk in front of them, sitting in what had been Toriel’s chair, their legs curled up beneath them with a copy of ’72 interesting snail facts’ firmly gripped in their much too small hands. The fire beside them letting off a gentle warmth, the small rug that Chara was laying on felt exactly like it used to all those years ago.  
  
“You never told me you read this book,” Frisk stated, “It actually has all the pages in your dreams, in mine it only has a few.” Chara couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped them, after what they’d just been through, Frisk commented on them reading one of Tori’s books? It had to be one of the smallest details to mention but they chose _ that? _  
  
They nodded, rolling onto their back to stare at the ceiling. Everything felt like it used to, Chara swore that if they closed their eyes they’d feel Asriel lying on the floor beside them as their mom read out snail facts to them, they had missed feeling at… Home. They almost missed Frisk coming to lie beside them, they only noticed because the smaller child brushed against their arm.   
  
They lay there, neither speaking as they stared at the ceiling, listening to the soft crackle of the fireplace. It’s… Nice, relaxing, despite knowing that the two of them will probably never get to do this outside of dreams, the two of them are happy to just _ be _right now. Despite everything, it’s still them; they’ve earned a break after the last few days.  
  
When the silence is eventually broken, it’s Frisk asking what Chara had done to fix their soul, saying that all they remember before entering this dream was bright lights and a sense of _ belonging _surrounding them.  
  
Chara replies that they just injected themselves with the Determination that Alphys has kept stored in her lab before going quiet again, listening to the soft crackle of the fireplace. They lie there, Frisk gently rubbing the rug below their hands whilst Chara stares at the ceiling.  
  
“How do you know?” Chara asks, earning a confused glance from Frisk.  
  
“Know what?” They reply, rolling onto their side to look properly at Chara.   
  
They wave their hand dismissively as they closed their eyes, “about the whole… they them thing? I thought…”_ What did I think? It’s been so long, _“I thought it was a monster only thing,” they added, screwing their eyes shut as they did so because that sounds so_ stupid _after saying it out loud.  
  
Something squeezes their shoulder, “I looked for it,” is whispered. “I… I never felt right being called by my old gender… So while my old parents were out, I just looked stuff up online and found it.” Frisk sighs, “It’s… Not easy, knowing if that’s what I am, I still wonder if I got it right sometimes.”  
  
Something small and decidedly wet falls on Chara’s hair, they decide to ignore it.  
  
“But, it helps a little. This probably sounds silly, but I feel more… Comfortable, not being a he or a she, just a me. Does that make sense?” They ask, their voice so quiet that Chara has to lean closer to hear.  
  
“Yeah… A little,” Chara mutters before poking Frisk’s stomach, prompting a small giggle. “So… Humans can be theys to?” Frisk nodded, taking hold of the hand that had poked them, “can I be a they to?” They asked, their voice coming out small and tentative.  
  
Frisk smiled as they gently squeezed Chara’s hand, “you can be whatever you want to be,” they answered, gripping Chara’s hand between their own as they stared into their eyes. “It’s about being comfortable, you know? Whatever makes you most comfortable to be,” they added in response.  
  
The pair are quiet once again, with Frisk rubbing their fingers against Chara’s hands whilst Chara stares into the distance, their brows furrowed in concentration. They could ignore whatever Frisk was doing for now, they couldn’t exactly _ feel _the other; it was more like phantom touches than any physical contact.  
  
Everything seemed so easy to ignore whilst they thought, was it really that simple? A simple ‘I prefer this so this is what I am?’ It sounded too simple to be true, but all those times when the Dreemurrs had referred to them as they or them when they thought Chara hadn’t been listening, something about that had felt _ right. _So maybe it really was that simple…  
  
Eventually, as all quiets must, it ended. Noises from outside this dream world were slipping in, tugging at the pair’s conscious, familiar voices seeming to echo through the walls; one voice, loud and commanding, the other much quieter and patient. There was also pressure, a weight pressing down on their shoulders.  
  
When Chara turned to Frisk, intending to ask _ when _Frisk was going to wake up, only to see that they had drifted off, with Chara’s arm held tightly against them self._  
  
Was it really that tiring? What should they do? Wait for Frisk to rest up, or wake up and continue on whilst Frisk caught up on sleep? It was tempting, to say the least, but they didn’t have Frisk’s patience or understanding when it came to others… Perhaps it’d be better to just lay here in this dream than wake up.  
  
Their mind turned to their friends, how would they react to watching Frisk sleep for what could be days? Not well, most likely. And it wasn’t like Chara could mess this timeline up anymore than it already was.  
  
So, with a deep breathe, they opened their eyes to a face full of Undyne’s back and an earful of stuttering Alphys as she explained something about determination and mistakes. Both of them too absorbed in their surroundings and talk to notice that they’d woken up, not quite noticing the small smile that spread across their face when Undyne complimented Alphys, turning her into a stuttering mess.  
  
Somehow, everything was turning out right, kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, parts of my headcanons for Chara and Frisk's backstory are shown.
> 
> Now, I can stop feeling bad and call Chara they/them, even if right now they're in the "questioning" phase. 
> 
> And, sorry if the whole gender section isn't 100% right, all I could find to explain how to tell if you're non-binary essentially becomes "Whatever makes you most comfortable", which didn't really help. Despite the awkwardness of this chapter, I hope you've enjoyed it.
> 
> There's about five chapters of this fic left, I think. So home stretch!


	10. New Homeward Bound

It seemed that, no matter where you were, elevator music was always the same. Quiet but _there_ , in all of its slowly irritating ways that made people thankful that they never had to stay and listen.  
  
Even the elevator out of the True Lab suffered from this same music, Chara was grateful that the two monsters with them were talking over it. Not quite aware that they had woken up, eavesdropping as Undyne reassured Alphys that everything was okay, that the people would be grateful to have their family back together. That as soon as they took the human to Asgore, who would definitely let them rest in a proper bedroom until they were ready.  
  
But, they _were_ ready, they were ready to face the king once again, ready to watch as Toriel came to their rescue. Ready to watch as their friends stood up for them.   
  
But they weren’t really _their_ friends, they were Frisk’s. Even though Chara had started to see some of them as their own friends to, they didn’t even know they existed, they only knew Frisk, not Chara, never Chara.  
  
Maybe it could change; maybe they’d be able to let themselves be known not just as Frisk, but as Chara as well. Maybe, one day, they’d look at them and see _them_. But for now, all they knew was Frisk, maybe that’s all they’d ever be.  
  
They shook their head to dispel the thoughts, that kind of thinking could come later, for now they had to get Undyne to _put them down_ , they had to fake being Frisk. That meant being nice and smiley and full of boundless _cheer_ as well as optimism. An almost impossible task, but as Undyne slowly pulled them over their shoulder, gripping their stomach almost painfully tight, they tried. They tried so hard, but perhaps that was what gave them away.  
   
The guard’s eye narrowed slightly, placing them on the ground with a slow _preciseness_ that was so unusual of her, “Frisk?” She asked. Chara replied with a quick nod, because they _couldn’t_ know, they _couldn’t_ understand what was going on just yet and _damnit Frisk, I’m not a people person, help me out here._  
  
They can see Alphys in the corner of their eye, watching them carefully like she _didn’t know_ them and something is itching at the mind of their mind, one small detail they’re forgetting. Some tiny, minute detail that was important _somehow_.  
  
Chara can feel Undyne’s claws digging into their shoulders, causing a slight sting as she stares into their eyes with her own. Again, she repeats “Frisk?” this time Chara nods in confirmation that _yes, they are Frisk._ But it feels wrong, a simple lie for their benefit. They’d never caused Chara to feel… _Bad_ before, so why was it causing these feelings now? What was different?  
  
Undyne’s eye narrows, “You stand differently.” Alphys’ eyes widen beside them as they walk small circles around the pair, looking them up and down with an _intense_ look on her face. She starts muttering to herself absentmindedly. Only the occasional word is audible to the pair, there’s definitely a _‘_ human’ in there and a ‘Determination.’  
  
It takes all of their will power to stay there, standing in place. They want to pick at their nails, to try and grasp the locket that they haven’t picked up yet, that’s technically _behind_ them. They can’t know, what they are is technically _impossible_ , so there is no way for them to _know_ someone else is using Frisk’s body.  
  
“Chara?”  
  
They backpedal slightly, Undyne lets her their shoulders go as they push against the wall behind them. Breath hitching slightly and their eyes widen. The feeling of brick edges poking their back through their clothes is a thankful distraction because _Undyne shouldn’t know that name, Undyne isn’t supposed to know that name_. Alphys’ expression _isn’t helping,_ this can’t be happening but it _is_ and that’s absolutely-  
  
Wait, that was part of their note that they’d scratched out, wasn’t it? But hadn’t they scribbled it so it was illegible?   
   
The guard slowly falls onto her rear, leaning against the elevator’s doors, the way she looks at them makes Chara squirm. It shouldn’t be like this, it _shouldn’t be like this_ , they were supposed to stay as an unknown. The way Alphys is watching isn’t helping either, it’s making their skin itch and their fingers twitch.  
  
The quiet stretches out between the three, the monsters watching Chara whilst the child struggles to _think._ Surely there’s a way to get these women to leave them be until the barrier so that they can _finish_ , because between here and the throne room is _Sans_ and that’s just… That golden corridor brings back too many bad memories for them.  
  
But, these two _know_ that they’re there, they _know_ and actually still seem to care about them. This is all so _new_ , normally when they were in control Undyne and Alphys would _hate_ them, but here they are, looking concerned over someone who is supposed to be long dead. Even if they don’t think they’re _that_ Chara, the fact that they still seem to care…  
  
“I… We should be going… Frisk and I,” they mutter as they push themselves away from the wall. “Don’t… Don’t tell anyone,” they add.  
  
Before they manage to take the first step, a blue hand grabs their arm, “you don’t have to do this punk, it doesn’t _have_ to be your soul.”   
  
When Chara pushes the hand off, they reply with an almost harsh “for the good of all monsters… You’re going to be free.” They turn Frisk’s eyes down the path before they continue to march on, the loose gravel crunching beneath their feet. They can’t look back; they can’t see Undyne conflicting with their care for them and their desire to free monsters. They can’t see Alphys watching them dejectedly because they _know_ that’s how they’ll look; they _have_ to leave them for now, just for a little while.  
  
Minutes pass, the skyline of New Home, if it could be called a skyline, slowly drifts by with every step. The memories come almost unbidden, of walking this path unsteadily behind the Dreemurrs, racing Asriel home for the biggest slice of pie… The first time Frisk walked this path, a slightly dusty frying pan in hand. What had their LOVE been during their first run? How many times had Frisk killed in fear?   
  
The soft pats stop as they move from stone to grass, the small house before them fills them with nostalgia, just like every other time they saw it. They’d almost forgotten that the True Lab’s elevator stopped before, not after their old home, pulling a small laugh from the child. Walking through the doorframe brings a small smile to their face, memories flooding through their mind, despite how long it had been nothing had really changed.  
  
Soft warmth pushes itself against Chara, reminding them that they need to get _going,_ so they press onward. Passed their old bedroom, not even peaking inside to see if the presents are there because _of course_ they’re there. When they pick up the familiar key, there isn’t a monster that ‘attacks’ them to tell them the story of the prince and the human. The same is true when they walk back to the kitchen, the second key on the counter lying atop a small note, no monsters.  
  
The quiet was almost deafening, it hung in the air unlike the other times they had walked this path. No monsters, no story.  
  
When they return to where the lock and chain always are, they notice that it isn’t there… The path is completely open. A shiver runs down their spine as they descend the stairs, a chill wrapped itself around their small frame.  
  
Same hall, it’s the same hall just without the people. That would be good any other time, but Chara didn’t want to _be_ alone right now, Frisk was still resting so they had nothing to distract them from the _weirdness_ of this.  
  
Once again, New Home’s skyline (underline? Groundline?) passed by beside them, again Chara ignored it. This time hunching forward slightly as they wrapped their arms around themself, hands on their forearms. Just, keep going, this’ll be easier once we get to the throne room, maybe by then Frisk will be ready to take over so they can try to relax.  
  
The entryway to the final corridor comes all too quickly, they hope that Sans, just like the other monsters, won’t be here this time. The golden tiles are achingly cold through their worn shoes as they force themselves forwards, passed golden pillars and tall windows. Light streams in as brightly as ever, despite the lack of sun it really is a nice day outside.  
  
When they turn back to the corridor, the skeleton, _the comedian_ , is standing there; hands in his hoodie pockets and the all too familiar grin plastered across his skull.  
  
“so, you finally made it,” He starts with, just like every other run bar a few. “the end of your journey is finally at hand.”  
  
It’s always the same, it’s always the same, even after Frisk told him that there were two last people needing to be saved, he always followed the same script. “you two will determine the future of this world.” That was new, at least, has he got a new script?  
  
“but that’s then, now, you will be judged. For every action, every exp you’ve earned. for every bit of LOVE you have.” The short skeleton lets out a small laugh, “of course, this time you didn’t hurt anyone. you never gained any LOVE, but you did earn love, which i think the other kid will appreciate,” so he kept notes about what Frisk had told him, and being the over observant skeleton he is, of course he’d notice they weren’t Frisk.   
  
“of course, that doesn’t mean you’re naïve,” the skeleton winks, “just that you strived to do the right thing. the kid’s lessons finally sunk in, probably had something to do with what undyne put you through, right?” That wasn’t anything like the truth, it hadn’t been Undyne, it had all been _Frisk,_ who had taught them how to forgive, to not push their pain and anger on others.   
  
Sans closes his eye sockets, “looks like i get to take it easy this time round,” his eyes snap open as the soft footfalls begin to echo through the corridor. “maybe this time will finally be the last time, huh kiddo? i don’t know about you… but i’m getting really tired of these resets.” Just before Chara reached him, he takes a step to the side, vanishing as he does so.  
  
_Hopefully this is the last time, hopefully._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been rewritten about six or seven times, this is the best I can actually get for it.
> 
> There is about two or three chapters left for this fic, then an epilogue. Then there will be a sequel, which I'm looking forward to. Well, there will be lots of sequels, this is gonna be fun fun fun.
> 
> Also, I need to get rid of the note that's gonna appear below this one. It's no longer relevant but I have no clue how.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is appreciated.
> 
> If genders is a little confusing (I've gone through and fixed every mistake I could twice now), Frisk uses they/them and Chara uses she/her.
> 
> Thank you, I hope you've enjoyed and that my rustiness at writing isn't too off putting.


End file.
